Beneath his feet stretched an endless, desolate black mountain range. The further north one went in Jingtu Sect territory, the fewer sects there were. The number of cultivators Li Yan encountered in the open also dwindled.
Although it was the height of summer, large flakes of snow would occasionally drift down from the gloomy sky. The northern part of the Jingtu Sect's territory was a bitterly cold land where the Spiritual Energy grew increasingly thin.
Only a very few sects were willing to establish their strongholds here. They were generally very small sects that lacked the ability to contend for a place in the Spiritual Energy-rich south, forced to set down their roots here out of necessity.
Life here was harsh, but a small sect could often occupy a vast area without anyone to compete with. It was common for a small sect of only twenty or thirty people to claim a radius of a hundred li as its own territory.
Li Yan flew through the air, braving the wind and snow. He took out a jade slip map. The map's markings for this area were only approximate, and Li Yan could only use it to roughly determine his position.
A moment later, Li Yan put away the jade slip, his brow furrowed slightly.
'I am still more than a hundred thousand li from the Sea of the Northern Abyss, and there are no more sect markings on this jade slip. This map is no longer of much help. It seems I'll have to fly the rest of the way. With my current magical power controlling the Cloud-Piercing Willow, it should only take thirteen or fourteen days,' Li Yan thought to himself.
Just like that, for the better part of the next day, Li Yan focused on traveling. As expected, he did not encounter another cultivator for several thousand li.
Just when Li Yan thought this would continue, his flying figure suddenly came to a halt.
"There are actually cultivators here."
Within Li Yan's Divine Sense, in a hollow of the distant black mountain range, a small manor had appeared.
Several powerful auras were emanating from within the manor. Since Li Yan was not deliberately concealing his presence while flying, the other party discovered him at the same time he discovered them.
Li Yan could sense the auras of Golden Core cultivators from them—two in total, both at the Initial-stage Golden Core.
Logically, Li Yan should have discovered them long before they discovered him. But as always, Li Yan couldn't keep his Divine Sense extended over a large range at all times, so he had kept it to a radius of a few hundred li.
The moment they discovered Li Yan, three figures shot up from the mountain hollow, blocking Li Yan's path ahead. In addition to the two Golden Core cultivators, a Pseudo-Core cultivator had also risen with them.
Li Yan's expression remained completely unfazed. He continued to fly forward along his original path.
A distance of several hundred li, at his current speed on the Cloud-Piercing Willow, was covered in an instant. When he was three hundred zhang away from the three individuals, Li Yan stopped and stared at them silently. (TN: 1 zhang is about 3.3 meters or 11 feet)
The trio consisted of one woman and two men. The two Golden Core cultivators were an older man and woman. The man wore a blue robe, had a rough appearance, and looked to be in his thirties. The woman, on the other hand, was curvaceous and alluring, dressed in a pink palace-style gown like a young matron, and appeared to be only in her early twenties.
The remaining Pseudo-Core man was clearly their son, looking to be only eighteen or nineteen. Though handsome, a sinister aura flowed between his brows.
Under Li Yan's deliberate scrutiny, he could see that the robust man's true cultivation was likely very close to the Mid-stage Golden Core. The young woman in the pink gown seemed to have only recently formed her core; judging by the fluctuations of her aura, she had been a Golden Core for no more than ten years.
Seeing Li Yan staring at the three of them without a word, a trace of displeasure flashed in the eyes of the young man with the sinister brow. However, as if remembering something, he pursed his already thin lips.
In contrast, the two Golden Core cultivators exchanged a glance. The rough-looking man looked at Li Yan, cupped his fists, and chuckled. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. May I ask where you have come from?"
His Divine Sense, however, seemed to intentionally or unintentionally sweep over Li Yan's body repeatedly. At first, seeing Li Yan's cultivation level, he hadn't even planned to come up himself. But he soon realized something was amiss. The aura on Li Yan was very strange, giving him a sense of danger and darkness. Compounded by the trouble back at the manor, he and the young woman exchanged a look and decided it was necessary to handle this matter personally.
In truth, it was mainly because a lone cultivator of Li Yan's level appearing here was highly inappropriate. They were more worried that there were others hiding in the background.
As the rough-looking man spoke, the young woman also watched Li Yan with a smile playing on her lips.
Li Yan also cupped his hands in return. He had long since taken in the expressions of the three. His voice was devoid of any emotion. "A mere rogue cultivator, just happening to pass by this place!" He showed no intention of explaining further.
Seeing Li Yan's attitude, the young man who had kept his thin lips shut could finally not resist a cold snort.
"Hmph, what an arrogant tone. Did you really think you're someone important just because my father called you 'Fellow Daoist'? You have already trespassed upon the lands of my 'Griefspirit Manor,' and yet you show no etiquette upon meeting your elders."
"'Griefspirit Manor'...'Griefspirit Manor'..." After hearing the other party's impolite words, Li Yan showed not a hint of displeasure or trepidation. Instead, he repeated the name a few times. Only when the young man's anger was beginning to boil did he cup his hands towards the three.
"This one had no intention of intruding on your esteemed territory. It was indeed reckless of me. I hope you can forgive my transgression!"
It would have been better if Li Yan hadn't said anything. The moment he did, the young man could no longer suppress the rage in his heart. He couldn't believe that a mere Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would act so presumptuously, still carrying himself as if he were a significant figure. He was already arrogant by nature and possessed a bloodthirsty streak. How could he tolerate such disrespect?
Just as he was about to flash forward and kill Li Yan, the rough-looking man, who had not spoken since his first sentence, let out a low shout.
"Mo'er, don't be impudent! No matter where this Fellow Daoist comes from, to be able to reach our manor in such a desolate place makes him a rare guest. This young friend, wouldn't you agree?"
After speaking, a smirk that was not quite a smile appeared on the rough-looking man's face. The first half of his sentence was directed at the young man, but the second half was aimed at Li Yan. This time, however, he had addressed him as "young friend."
Anyone familiar with Li Yan would have been greatly surprised. Today, Li Yan's words had deviated from his usual cautious demeanor, instead containing a hint of sharpness. This was completely at odds with his usual principle of keeping a low profile.
But Li Yan knew that the moment the other party had discovered him, killing intent had flashed, only to be quickly concealed. However, it could not escape his Divine Sense.
Li Yan didn't know why they wanted to kill him on sight. As he had traveled, he had naturally passed through the spheres of influence of different sects and families. As long as he didn't intrude into their core areas, they would usually give an advance warning for him to leave.
Furthermore, he was a full four hundred li away from that "Griefspirit Manor." For a small cultivation family, that should still be a considerable distance from their core territory. A simple voice transmission to warn him off would have sufficed, and Li Yan would naturally have detoured. Yet, the three of them had flown out directly.
Li Yan believed that even if he had turned to detour then, these three would have still intercepted him. So he simply met them head-on.
Sensing the hidden killing intent, Li Yan knew that if his first words had been of respect towards a Golden Core cultivator, the other party might not have even spoken before striking to kill.
But Li Yan's performance made the man and woman temporarily unable to gauge his background. Although his aura was that of a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, it felt extremely peculiar. This Golden Core couple, especially the rough-looking man who was on the verge of breaking through to the Mid-stage Golden Core, sensed a sinister and dangerous aura from Li Yan.
Yet, when he tried to probe Li Yan carefully with his Divine Sense, the other party did not resist at all, letting him investigate freely. But he always had a feeling that he couldn't see through the other's specific realm.
That's why he allowed his son to provoke the other party. If Li Yan were truly a cultivator hiding his realm, he might instantly erupt with a powerful pressure to teach "Mo'er" a lesson. Of course, he was also prepared to intervene and protect his son at any moment. But just as "Mo'er" was about to attack, the black-robed youth remained completely still. It was only then that he spoke, adopting a suitable expression to let Li Yan know that he had seen through everything.
Seeing the other party's words and expression, Li Yan had already figured it out. They still couldn't see through his background and were deliberately acting profound, trying to gauge his reaction.
How could Li Yan fall for that? He was now confident enough to escape even from a Late-stage Golden Core cultivator. With his personality, his first thought when facing an enemy was not victory, but a foolproof escape route.
"Not a guest, just a passerby. This one has urgent matters to attend to. The three of you, please return. I will leave this area now."
Li Yan said calmly. After speaking, he stepped on the Cloud-Piercing Willow and began to detour to the side. The moment Li Yan moved, a charming, soul-hooking laugh echoed in his ear.
"Young friend, don't be in such a hurry to leave. My 'Griefspirit Manor' is located in a remote area, and it's a rare day we have a guest. We must fulfill our duties as hosts. Why not come to the manor for a chat?"
The young woman in the pink gown had appeared in front of Li Yan at some unknown time. She was smiling sweetly, extending an invitation. Nearby, the unmoving, rough-looking man also had a slight smile on his face, but deep in his eyes, he was staring at the Cloud-Piercing Willow under Li Yan's feet.
His cultivation was the highest here, and he had long seen the extraordinariness of the Cloud-Piercing Willow. 'At least a mid-grade flying magical treasure,' he thought greedily.
Seeing that they had truly blocked him, Li Yan was not surprised. He was only feigning his departure and had not fully activated the Cloud-Piercing Willow. Otherwise, with their skills, they would not have been able to stop him, though completely shaking them off was another matter.
Li Yan sneered inwardly. He was never a reckless person. Before making these decisions, the moment they had discovered each other, Li Yan had already released his powerful Divine Sense to probe the manor below, fearing that other hidden masters might appear.
After investigating, he was surprised to find that, aside from one room where the formation fluctuations were extremely strong, the formations elsewhere were all ordinary.
Li Yan did not find any cultivators stronger than these two. There were about twenty other cultivators in the manor, with cultivation levels ranging from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, including another Pseudo-Core cultivator.